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Systems of Stratification

Chapter 9, Section 1

Division of members in a society into separate categories, ranks or classes.

Different systems of stratification: Caste system Class system

Social Stratification

Resources and rewards are distributed based on ascribed status. The status of a child is determined by their parents’ status.

Can a person move up to a higher status under this system? Very unlikely

Members practice endogamy- marrying within a class, and not exogamy– marrying outside of class.

Caste Systems

Caste Systems (India)The_Caste_System.mp4

Distribution of resources and rewards is determined on the basis of achieved status. Gives control over one’s place.

Marx believed that it was based on who owned means of production. Bourgeosie= own production in capitalistic

society. Proletariat= sell labor for wages.

Most major industrialized nations (such as the U.S. have a class system)

Class Systems

Weber expanded upon Marx’s ideas. Three factors determining class:

Property (wealth) Power Prestige

Social class= grouping of people with similar levels of three factors.

Class Systems (cont’d)

Wealth Assets: value of everything owned. Income: money earned through

salaries, investments, etc. Power

Ability to control the behavior of others, with or without their consent.

Prestige Respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy

an individual receives from other members of society. Three Factors of Social

Stratification

Prestige scores– NORC 1989

Occupation Prestige

Chief executive or general administrator, public administration

70.45

Manager, medicine and health 69.22

Architects 73.15

Aerospace engineer 69.22

Chemical engineer 73.30

Civil engineer 68.81

Engineer (not elsewhere classified) 70.69

Computer systems analyst or scientist 73.70

Physicist or astronomer 73.48

Chemist 73.33

Geologist or geodesist 69.75

Physical scientist, not elsewhere classified 73.09

Rating that combines social factors such as education level, occupational prestige, and place of residence with income. Helps determine an individual’s

position in the stratification system.

Socioeconomic status (SES)

Functionalist Necessary feature of society Society is maintained through roles that must

be performed. Leads to different rewards. Failures:

Not everyone has equal access Talented people in lower classes

Conflict Class exploitation of resources control

over other classes. Once power is attained, it is maintained. Failures:

Unequal rewards based on talent, skills, desire, etc. Not everyone can fulfill every job. Explaining

Stratification

Ralf Dahrendorf Use the two theories to explain different

aspects of stratification Gerhard Lenski

Theories apply to different types of societies: simple society functionalist; complex conflict

Notable Sociologists

The American Class System

Chapter 9, Section 2

What classes exist? 1995

What classes exist? 2010

Determining Class- Three methods1) Reputational method= members in a given

community rank other members based on their knowledge of character and lifestyle.- Better for studying small communities where everyone knows everyone well.

2) Subjective method= people determine their own social rank. People generally said ‘middle’ class. - Why?

3) Objective method= sociologists define class based on income, occupation, and education. - Least biased method

The Classes- 6 total• The Upper Class• Upper Middle Class• Middle Class• Lower Middle Class• Lower class/The Working Class• The Underclass

Classes• The Upper Class

o 1% of the populationo Old money v. new moneyo Old money= inherited rich; families who have shaped

the U.S. (i.e. Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Duke, Morgan, etc.) o New money= newly rich who have acquired money

through own efforts, not inheritance.

• The Upper Middle Classo High-income businesspeople and professionalso College education, advanced degreeo Very career-oriented.

Classes (cont’d)• The Lower Middle Class/Middle Class

o White-collar jobs (i.e. work that does not require manual labor)

o Less education than those held by Upper Middle Classo Comfortable life, but must work to keep it

maintained.

• The Working Classo Manual labor jobs– blue collar jobso Can pay as much or more than Lower Middle Class jobs,

but do not carry the prestige. o Pink-collar jobs– fields where women have previously

dominated.

Classes (cont’d)• The Working Poor

o Lowest-paying jobs. o Temporary or seasonal worko Some depend on government support programso Not involved politically

• The Underclasso Families experiencing unemployment and poverty

for generations o May have a job, but very low-payingo Day-to-day struggle

Social Mobility• Social mobility= movement between or

within social classes. • Three types: 1) Horizontal mobility= movement within a

class. Occurs when you move from one job to another in same social ranking.

2) Vertical mobility= movement between social classes.

3) Intergenerational mobility= a type of vertical mobility. When a person’s class of origin (i.e. their parents’) is different from their current one.

Causes of Mobility• Upward mobility:

o Advancements in technologyo Changes in merchandising patternso General education level of a population

• Downward mobility:o Personal factors– illness, divorce, family

death, and retirement. o Changes in the economy

Chapter 9, Section 3

PovertyChapter 9, Section 3

What is it?• Poverty= standard of living that is below

the minimum level considered adequate by society. o Poverty differs from country to country.

• Approximately 11% of the U.S. population live below the poverty level. o Poverty level= minimum annual income needed

by a family to survive. o Calculated by the Dept. of Agriculture’s minimum

nutritional diet cost x3. o Do you only need just food to survive?

American Poverty- Broken down by characteristics

• Ageo Children have the largest percentage in

poverty (<18 years poverty rate = 35%)• Sex

o 57% of the poor are women. o Women head about 50% of poor households

• Race and Ethnicityo African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to

live in povertyo African Americans have poverty rates almost

two times as high as for the US as a whole.

The Effects of Poverty• Life chances= the likelihood that

individuals have of sharing in the opportunities and benefits of society. o Healtho Length of lifeo Housingo Education

• Life expectancy= average # of years a person born in a given year can expect to live.

Behavioral patterns differ…

• Divorce rates higher in low-income families

• Greater likelihood of being arrested for committing violent crimeso Also means that poor people are more

likely to be the victims of crime.

Government Responses

• Lower poverty rates for elderly individuals• Implementation of social welfare programs

o Transfer payments= redistribution of money collected through taxes to groups that provide monetary public assistance. • Examples: Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Aid

to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)

o Government subsidies= transfer of goods and services rather than cash. • Examples: Food Stamp program, free and reduced

lunch, Medicaid

Government Responses

• Creation of a ‘welfare class’= those relying on government assistance for income rather than working. o Welfare reform began in 1996 limited time

for certain assistance programso However, nearly 1/3 of those who left

welfare were back on within 2 years